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2' Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

JfflPLAGLERQ TUBE ROLLING MILL.

Patented Oct. 18, 1887.

; WILIESEES LE3 n====a====wl m UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

JOHN H. FLAGLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TUBE-RQLLING MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371.83 dated Oc'wber188?. Application filed March 10, 1883. Serial No. 87,697. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.- 1

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. FLAGLEB, of New York, in the county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Apparatus for Rolling Tube-Skelp; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the manufacture of the tube-skelp employed forforming wroughtmetal tubing. The usual method of forming this tube-skelphas been to first roll the metal plate from a heated pile of 1nuck-bar,then scarf or bevel the edges in planing-machines, and finally to reheatthe plate and bend it in what are termed skelping-dies. have also beenformed for rolling the scarf or bevel on the reheated plates and at thesame timebendingitintoproperformforwelding. It has also been attemptedto form tube-skelp from the billet or pile at one heat, the metal beingfed back and forward through the rolls until brought to the proper gage,and then fed by the operator into bending apparatus to be formed intoskelp. The first two methods stated require the reheating of the metaland its manipulation several times, and the last has never beenpractically and successfully accomplished, because'the metal would loseits heat during the several handlings in feeding it to the differentapparatus and become too stiff for bending before the skelp was bent toshape, in many instances cracking and breaking during the bendingoperation and rendering the skelp useless. Difficulty has also beenexperienced in rolling the scarfed edges on the plates in the apparatusheretofore employed, because the rolls would only bite upon the edges ofthe plate and would elongate the edge without elongating the body, soforming waving or buckled scarfing edges, which would not weld properly.

The principal objects of my invention are to render; practicable theformation of the tube-skelp from the billet or pile at one heat and toimprove the formation of the rolled searfing-edge on the plate fromwhich the tubeskelp is bent.

My invention consists, first, in a continuous rolling mill or machinefor reducing a pile or billet to plate, scarfing it, and bending it intotube-skelp, formed of a series of two or more Machines through the mill,being first reduced to proper gage and scarfed and then bent up intotubulate skelp, the operation being continuous and the plate being bentinto tubulate form before itistoo cool forbending; second, in combiningwith the reducing-mill a pair of reducing and scarfing rolls,whereby theplate is reduced and elongated at the time of scarfing, and thereforeany surplus metal from the scarfed edges is forced into the body of theplate and a straight scarf formed along the plate; third, in mountingbehind the lapping-rolls of the continuous mill a buggy or carriagehaving devices to catch the tubulate skelp as it is delivered from themill, and adapted to travel back with the skelp and prevent itstwisting, and finally in other details hereinafter specifically setforth.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, 1 willdescribe its con struction and operation, referring for that purpose tothe accompanying drawings,in which-- Figure 1 is a longitudinal centralsection of my improved continuous mill, the buggy at the end being shownin full line. Fig. 2 is a like view, enlarged, of the last pair ofreducingrolls and the reducing and scarfing rolls. Fig. 3 isaicross-section of the plate as delivered from the last pair ofreducing-rolls. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the scarf-plate asdelivered from the reducing and scariing rolls. Fig. 5 is a crosssectionof the tube-skelp formed. Fig. 6 is a side view of the improved buggy,and Fig. 7 is a face view of the buggy.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each of the figures.

In the drawings referred to, A A indicate three pairs of reducing-rollsof a reducingmill, the rolls shown being tongue-and-groove rolls. Thereducingmill may be formed of any desired number of passes and any formof rolls, whether plain-faced, with or without intermediate verticalrolls, groove-rolls, or tongue-andgroove rolls, the rolls preferredbeing tongueandgroove rolls with. the tongue and groove of theintermediate pairs reversed, as the metal is entirely confined in theserolls,

IOG

and the fins formed in one pass are rolled oft in the next. The lastpass A of the-reducing-mill is of such width as to leave the platesomewhat thicker than the required thickness of the plate to be formedinto tube-skelp.

B B. are the reducing and scarfing rolls, the lower roll, B, being plainand the upper roll having a groove, b, corresponding in depth to thedesired gage or thickness of the metal plate to be formed into skelp.The sides of this groove are beveled according to the bevel of the scarfto be formed on the plate,'sothat the plate, as it passes from the rollsA A through the rolls B B, is both reduced to the proper gage for theskelp and is properly scarfed and ready for the bending operation. Thisis fully illustrated in the enlarged view, Fig. 2, and the views of theplates, Figs. 3 and 4.

G O are the bending-rolls, the lower roll, 0, being concave ortrough-shaped and the upper roll, 0, being correspondingly convex, sothat the pass between them istrough-shaped and the metal plate is bentby them into an approximately U shape.

D D are the lapping-rolls, which are both concave and are adapted tobend over the sides of the U-shaped plate formed in the rolls 0 0 intotubular or skelp form. The upper roll, D, of the lapping-rolls has anannular ridge, (1, against which the upper lip of the skelp fits,

and by means of which the skelp is prevented from lapping too far, andthe tubular skelp is delivered straight from the rolls.

Suitable conductors are employed between the several sets of rolls. Theconductors e between the several sets of reducing-rolls and the lastpair of reducing-rolls and the reducing and scarfing rolls B B are ofthe ordinary construction employed in continuous reducingmills,according to the form of the rolls. The conductor f between the rolls BB and the bending-rolls O G is preferably made fiat at the entrance andconcavo-convex at the discharge, so that it will receive the flatscarfed plate and impart to it a slight bend, which will cause it tofeed more easily into the bendingrolls. Between the bending-rollsOOandlapping-rolls D D is a bending-box, 9, within which the U shaped plateenters after leaving the rolls 0 O, and by which it is bent overintoproper shape for feeding into the lappingrolls. \Vithin the bending-boxis the mandrel-bar m,

supported by an extension above the box on the housings of thebending-rolls, and this mandrel-bar supports the mandrel or ball itbetween the lappingrolls, this mandrel being removably secured to themandrel-bar, so that it can be changed if desired. The mandrel-bar isformed hollow and water is forced through it, being discharged aroundthe mandrel and against the lapping-rolls, so as to keep the apparatuscool.

At the end of the continuous mill is a suitable railroad-track, h, whichextends out in line with the mill a suitable distance, according to thelength of the skelp formed therein. Running on this track is the buggyK, for catching the skelp as it leaves the rolls, guiding it back in astraight course,and preventing its twisting. I find thisbuggy'necessary, because it is essential that the welding-edges of theskelp be straight to form a' perfect weld, and where so long a skelp isdelivered from the apparatus with its end free it has a tendency totwist, and consequently cause the welding-edges to extend spirallyaround the skelp. The buggy is free to run on the track h, and is pushedback by the skelp as it is delivered from the mill. If desired, it maybeprovided with hooks 0, extending down from catching the upper lip of theskelp and preventing its turning, or a mandrel to fit within the skelp.This last apparatus is illustrated in the drawings. Secured at the frontof the buggy is the mandrel or ball 1), which is of proper size to fitwithin the skelp delivered from the mill, and has a longitudinalshoulder, p, against which the inner lip of the tube-skelp fits, and bymeans of which it is held and prevented from twisting in one direction.Supported above the ball 19 is the holding-plate 7, which conformssubstantially to the shape of the skelp at and near the lapping edgesand has a longitudinal ridge, 8, which fits against the outer or upperlip of [05 the skelp, and so holds it from turning in the otherdirection. The inner faces of this hold ing-plate are curved tosubstantially the same shape as the parts of the ball opposite them, sothat the upper end of the skelpis firmly held between the ball andplate. The holdingplate 1" is rigidly secured to the frame it, pivotedon the buggy K and having an arm, t which extends back over a spiral orother spring, t secnre'd between it and the buggy, by which theholding-plate r is pressed down upon the skelp. Pivoted on the frame tat the back of the mandrel p is the trigger or pawl t, this triggercatching on the mandrel and supporting the holding-plate 1' above it, sothat the tube skelp may pass over the mandrel, and, coming against thetrigger, knock it off the mandrel, and thus permit the spring t to pressthe holding-plate r down onto the skelp and hold it firmly between theplate and mandrel. A slide or any other suitable tripping device may beemployed instead of the trigger. The holdingplate 1 is raised by meansof the lever 10, pivoted to the table and extending over the arm t ofthe frame 1., so that by pressing on the lever the plate r is raised,and the trigger it will the'nswing for- ICC ward and catch on themandrel, thus supporting it above the mandrel in position to receiveanother skelp.

The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows: The rolls aregeared to run at the proper speeds, the surface speed of the rolls inthe reducing-mills being increased according to the reduction andelongation of the metal, and the surface speed of the reducing andscarfing rolls being increased according to the reduction therein. Asthe metal is not reduced in the bending-rolls or lappingrolls, they aregeared to run at the same surface speed as the scarfingrolls. The buggyK is run along the track It close up to the continuous mill and theholding-plate r raised until the trigger 15 catches on the mandrel andholds the plate above the mandrel. The pile or billet is brought to theproper heat, being preferably highly heated, on account of the work onthe metal, at the one heat, and it is then fed to the continuous mill.It then passes through the reducing-mill and is rolled therein to nearlythe gage desired, and passes from the reducing-rolls A A to the reducingand scarfing rolls B B, where it is both reduced to the proper gage andscarf. As the plate is entirely confined by and is reduced in theserolls as well as scarfed, the extra metal rolled off the edges inbeveling or scarfing them is pressed into the body of the plate,and forthis reason a straight and proper scarf is formed along the. edgesinstead of the plate being only elongated at the edges, and thereforeformed waved or buckled at the scarf edges,as is the case where therolls do not operate on the body of the plate. After leaving the rolls BB the plate enters the conductorf, where it is given a slight or initialbend and is fed into the bending-rolls O C. These rolls impart to theplate an approximately U shape, bending up the sides of the scarfedplate in proper shape to be afterward bent over by the bending-box y,when such box is employed, or'by the lapping-rolls. Where thebending-box is employed the sides of the plate are bent over so thatthey almost lap and are in proper shape to he lapped around the mandreln by the lapping-rolls D D. As the plate passes through these rolls theupper or outer edge of the plate fits against the annular ridge d in theroll D, and the lower or inner edge is pressed under this edge, thusforming the tubular skelps. The ridge (1 of the upper roll also servesto deliver the skelp straight from the rolls and feeds it forward inproper position to pass over the man drel p on the buggy K. As soon asthe tubular skelp comes against the trigger t it knocks it off themandrel, and the holding-plate then clasps the skelp against themandrel. As the inner edge of the skelp fits against the shoulder 19 onthe mandrel and the longitudinal ridge 8 on the holding-plate fitsagainst its outer edge, the skelp is held straight and prevented fromtwisting by the buggy and the buggy is pushed back along the track bythe skelp until the finished skelp is delivered from the continuousmill. The holding-plate o" is then raised, the buggy run back from theskelp, which is removed from the track, when the buggy is run up inposition at the end of the mill, and the apparatus is ready for forminganother skelp. The finished skelp is allowed to cool and then sawed intoproper lengths, reheated, and welded into tubing in the usual or anyapproved manner.

As the operation is continuous from the pile or billet to thetube-skelp, the operation requires so little time that the plate is hotenough for bending into skelp without liability to splitting, cracking,or breaking even though reduced to thin plate from a thick pile orbillet, and as fine skelp is formed as where the has been founddifficult in all apparatus for rolling tubeskelp.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A continuous rolling-mill for forming tube-skelp from the billet orpile, having mounted in common line of feed a series of two or morereducing-rolls, apair of scarfingrolls, bendingrolls, and lappingrolls,and having suitable guides or conductors between the several sets ofrolls, the whole being combined together substantially as set forth.

2. In continuous rolling-mills, the combination, with a series ofreducing-rolls, of a pair of reducing and scarfing rolls having a passof less width than the pass of the last pair of reducing-rolls, wherebythey are adapted to both scarf the plate and reduce it to the propergage, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In combination with a continuous mill for rolling tube-skel p, atrack at the end thereof, and a buggy running on said track and havingdevices to catch upon or within the skelp as it is delivered from themill, and adapted to travel back with it and prevent its twisting,substantially as set forth.

4. In apparatus for grasping tubeskel p, the combination, with thebuggy, of the mandrel p, having the 'shoulder'pQand the holdingplate 9",having the ridge or shoulder 8, substantially as set forth.

5. In apparatus for grasping tube-skelp, the combination, with thebuggy, of the mandrel p, the holding-plate r, and-the trigger t,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In apparatus for grasping tubeskelp, the combination, with the buggy,of the mandrel p, the pivoted frame it, carrying the holdingplate a",and spring t", substantially as and for In testimony whereof I, the saidJOHN H.

the purposes set forth. FLAGLER, have hereunto set my hand.

7. In apparatus for grasping tubeskelp the 1 I combination, with thebuggy, of the man drel JOHN FLAGLLR' 5 p, pivoted frame 25, carrying theholding-plate Witnesses:

0', spring t 2111(1 lever 26, substantially as and JAMES I. KAY, for thepurposes set forth. J. N. COOKIE.

